Prelude to Purity
by Holyknightsteve
Summary: The story has ended. Mithos has been defeated, and the worlds recombined. Yet for one group of travellers, their journey is just beginning, and for two in their midst, their new quest is more painful than any before.


A/N: Hey there folks! No, I'm not dead and yes, I'm still working on Unconditional Love. I hope everyone can forgive me. Now that I've reached some degree of notoriety, I just want to make sure everything is perfect. Am I wrong for doing this? Ah well. Anyway…

I recently met a young lady on here by the name of Spiritua Masquerade and we've gotten together to write a collab, get this… KratosXColette.

…still with me? Good.

For those whose interest I piqued with such an odd (crack?) pairing, keep reading. The story will be called "A Single Drop of Purity". In the story, Spiritua will be playing the part of Colette while I play the part of Kratos. What you're about to read is both an advertisement and a sort of prequel for the collab. The story itself will be archived on her profile while this one-shot, obviously, is on my own. Here's hoping you enjoy it!

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**_Prelude to Purity_**

"…and that's what we plan on doing," said Genis as he threw another piece of wood into the fire.

Poking a stick through a large marshmallow, Lloyd stuck it into the fire with one hand and rubbed his chin thoughtfully with the other. "Wow, that's quite a lot. Sounds like you and Raine are gonna be busy for quite a while."

Raine nodded. "That may be, but it's something that we both want to do and something that has to be done if our newly formed world is to prosper. It will be a long time before the scars of the past are forgotten and people learn to forgive those who had nothing to do with all of the things that have happened."

"Yeah," Genis started, "Everyone knows now that half-elves helped to save the world but still few are willing to treat them as equal beings. I suppose the same holds true for any angels that will be stranded here once Derris-Kharlan leaves for good." He looked over at Colette and asked, "Hey Colette, what are you planning on doing?"

She didn't respond. Her gaze was seemingly fixed upon the flickering flames of the fire but even that was questionable. It seemed as if she had a lot on her mind, though what exactly it was eluded her friends. Throughout the entire time that they had been talking, she had at least one hand clasped over her Cruxis Crystal. She was, in reality, oblivious to the world around her, her heart and soul fixated upon matters elsewhere.

"Colette?"

Still no response.

"Colette?" Lloyd took his free hand and shook Colette gently. "Are you okay?"

With a start, she awakened from her trance, her eyes darting back and forth rapidly between Lloyd, Genis, and the professor. "Huh? What?"

"What's wrong Colette?" asked Raine with concern. "Is something on your mind?"

A virtually unnoticeable bead of sweat poured down Colette's forehead. Nervously, she shook her head and replied, "No professor, I'm okay." She faked a giggle and continued. "I was just uh… thinking about my journey tom-… I mean, our journey tomorrow." Hesitation apparent, she slowly turned to Lloyd, forced a smile, and said, "Right… Lloyd?"

He closed his eyes, smiled and took a bite of his burnt marshmallow. "Mmfff! Thaff fright!" he said through a mouthful of melted marshmallow.

"Gonna go through with your exsphere journey, huh?" asked Genis as he poked the fire with his stick.

Hesitating again, Colette was slow to nod her head. "Y-yup! It'll be… fun."

After finishing her sentence, everyone went back to talking while Colette returned to her thoughts. She couldn't believe that she was lying to everyone. While it was true that she was indeed going to begin on a journey tomorrow, hers differed from Lloyd's and it was one she was not sure she would return home from. She was to leave with Kratos in the morning for reasons she felt only she and Kratos would understand.

The world was one now. Everyone knew this. However, just as Raine and Genis had said, scars of the evil deeds of both half-elves and angels were still present both across the landscape and in the hearts of all who dwelled on the now-unified world. Some would find a way to move on and co-exist with those they once called "enemy". Others, however, would not be so open-hearted. Considering how the angels themselves had organized most if not all of the wrong-doings of the world, Colette believed in her heart of hearts that, despite being the former Chosen of Sylvarant and one of the heroes that unified the worlds, her mere angelic presence would bring both fear and pain to everyone in the world save for those closest to her. It is for this reason that she felt she had to leave.

Even before Mithos was defeated, she had wondered what her presence would mean in the new world. After many days of thought and reflection, she felt that there was only once choice. Not long after the battle against Mithos, she had learned that Kratos was going to leave the new world and instead depart for Derris–Kharlan, hoping that he could set the angels back down on the right path. Upon hearing this, she approached Kratos and shared her thoughts with him. Despite his protests, she eventually convinced him to take her with him to Derris-Kharlan, not only for the sake of her own world, but so that she could perhaps learn what it really means to be a true angel. Her mind was set. Only one problem remained.

Her eyes opened as something prodded her in the arm. Alarmed, she turned to see that it was Lloyd, poking her with a stick that had a burnt marshmallow close to the end. "Tired, Colette?" he asked as he handed the stick to her.

Smiling weakly, she took the stick from him and took a bite of the marshmallow. "Uh uh. Fank you Woyd," she tried to say through the melted goodness.

Her friends and family were all that remained. How would she break the news to them? Her heart was torn. On one hand, she felt that it was necessary for the future of her world for her to leave. On the other hand, she didn't want to leave those she cared for so much… especially Lloyd. She felt a special bond with him and she had often wondered if…

She shook her head. That wouldn't matter now. She was dead-set on her course of action and, despite what her heart was trying to tell her, in the end, she knew that she would listen to her brain and leave this world. She knew that this had to be done, but was it what she truly wanted? When the time came to say goodbye, would she still be able to do it? Would she be able to look into the eyes of her beloved friends and tell them that she's leaving and may never come back? No, she couldn't do that. She knew she would break down. Her solution was simple: she just wouldn't tell anyone she was leaving. If she did tell someone… anyone… there's no way she could leave then. However, she felt that she had to tell someone. After all, wasn't that the right thing to do? Didn't she at least owe her friends that much? While the answer would seem simple to most, to Colette, it didn't come that easily. She just didn't know.

"Forgive my intrusion," came a voice from behind Genis. Everyone, including Colette, turned toward the voice and from the shadows emerged Kratos, clad in the same attire that they had first met him in. "Would anyone have any objections if I sat down with you?"

"Dad!" said an elated Lloyd. "Heck no! Sit down, have fun with us! After all, after tomorrow, we… won't see each other for a long time, right?"

Kratos nodded and sat down. "Indeed."

Lloyd smiled. "Then we should make the most of what time we have, right?"

Another nod. "That's true. Thank you."

Everyone save for Kratos and Colette continued to talk as if nothing happened. Genis offered a marshmallow on a stick to Kratos who politely declined with a wave of his hand and a "No, thank you". Instead, unbeknownst to Lloyd, Genis, and Raine, all he did was stare across the fire at Colette who was still nibbling on her half-melted marshmallow. Feeling his gaze upon her, she turned to him and returned his gaze. For what seemed like an eternity, all the two did was gaze at each other, their hearts and minds set upon the new stage of life that would soon be upon them. No words had to be spoken between them. It was almost as if they knew exactly what the other was thinking just by looking into their eyes.

"Am I doing the right thing?" Kratos wondered to himself as he continued to gaze at Colette. "If I take her with me, she may never return to her home. She believes she is doing the right thing but even I'm not convinced of this." He closed his eyes briefly before opening his eyes again and continuing his thoughts. "Then again, who am I to say what she should do? Her heart is set on this and I shall respect her wishes. I'll do what I can to help Colette understand what it truly means to be an angel. Still…" He averted his gaze from Colette to Lloyd. "Lloyd… how will he take this? He should be told about all of this, but in the end, it's not really my business. I just hope that Colette will do the right thing and at least tell him goodbye."

He turned back to Colette who was still staring at him. Once she noticed that he was looking back at her, she lowered her eyes and stared at her marshmallow. She knew what he was thinking and she knew what she had to do. The question was… how would she do it? How _could_ she do it? She shook her head and took another small bite of her marshmallow. This would all come tomorrow. For now, she would simply enjoy the time that she had left with those she cared for most.

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And there you have it. The prequel to the first collab that I will be a part of. I hope that all of you are as interested in this story idea as we are about writing it. Within a couple of days, the first chapter of "A Single Drop of Purity" will be posted on Spiritua Masquerade's profile. To reach her profile, simply click on my "Favorite Authors" link on the bottom of my profile, click on her name, and away you go! I know the general idea of the entire story may sound strange but I urge all of you to give our story a chance. I promise that you will all not only enjoy our story but also develop a new found interest in the seemingly impossible pairing of Kratos and Colette. Looking for something different? This is definitely your story. Thank you so much for reading and for any and all reviews in advance!


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